Samuels Still After Espada

New Roosevelt Founder Bill Samuels, who helped Gustavo Rivera defeat Pedro Espada Jr. in a primary back in September, is now calling on the former Senate Majority Leader not to use campaign funds for his legal defense of federal embezzlement and conspiracy charges.

“Espada should not be allowed to use his remaining campaign contributions to defend himself against the various state and federal charges he is facing,” Samuels said. “He should either return the money to his contributors or donate the funds to a legitimate charity. It is the right and transparent thing to do.”

State law allows candidates to use campaign funds for many personal things, including legal defense. And Samuels says Espada has nearly $300,000 in funds he could tap.

“While we don’t know how much campaign cash Espada has on hand since he didn’t file mandatory disclosures following the election, we can safely assume that he’ll be using as much as $290,556.24 to fend off these criminal charges,” Samuels said. “This loophole must be closed so that corrupt politicians, such as Espada who is well known for his campaign finance violations, can’t just skirt the law and use their ill-gotten gains to defend themselves.”